Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a 4 year university located in Dekalb, Illinois. It has a total student population of 21,138. For students who live in Illinois, the cost of tuition is only $13,636, although out-of-state students pay $22,914. The school has a number of sports teams for men and women in NCAA Division I. These include basketball, baseball, football, golf, soccer, tennis and wrestling. Students can also join intramural sports and have a choice of over 200 clubs. Northern Illinois University is also big into Greek life with over 42 sororities and fraternities on campus.
The student-to-faculty ratio at NIU is very good, averaging 15 students to every 1 professor. In addition, almost half of the classes (47.7%) offered at NIU have less than 20 students on their rosters. The average freshman retention rate is also very high at 70.3%. This is extremely important because that shows that almost three-quarters of the freshman class are very happy with their experience and want to return for a sophomore year.
NIU’s most popular majors are psychology, registered nursing, communications, and health/medical preparatory programs. If students are interested in applying to NIU for admission, applications are due by August 1st with an acceptance rate of 52%. The minimum ACT for acceptance is a 19; however students can also apply through their CHANCE Program which is an alternative admission option. If accepted through this program, students get specialized academic support for their freshman and sophomore year. Students can also attend NIU for law school or graduate school in business, education, health, or the sciences. NIU also has many satellite campuses throughout the Chicagoland area with class size ratios averaging 18 to 1.
Quick Facts
Location: DeKalb, IL
Undergraduate: 15,814
Mascot: Huskies
Sports: NCAA Division1
In-State Tuition: $13,636